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A symptom network analysis of specific phobia disorder (SPD) was conducted according to gender and age in 555 people over 65 in the Region of Madrid (Spain). The network was estimated using the InsingFit package that implements a procedure called eLasso. These results reveal differences in the strength, closeness, and betweenness of the different networks according to gender but not for the 65-74 and 75-84 age groups. The gender variable presents a greater presence of symptoms in women than in men. For all types of specific phobia, the symptom of greater occurrence for both groups was fear. The main difference between men and women over 65 with SPD lies in the situational type, where centrality is more distributed and where the most central symptoms are distress for women and fear for men. These differences in the networks seem to support the conceptualization of SPD from a dimensional point of view.

A symptom network analysis of specific phobia disorder (SPD) was conducted according to gender and age in 555 people over 65 in the Region of Madrid (Spain). The network was estimated using the InsingFit package that implements a procedure called eLasso. These results reveal differences in the strength, closeness, and betweenness of the different networks according to gender but not for the 65-74 and 75-84 age groups. The gender variable presents a greater presence of symptoms in women than in men. For all types of specific phobia, the symptom of greater occurrence for both groups was fear. The main difference between men and women over 65 with SPD lies in the situational type, where centrality is more distributed and where the most central symptoms are distress for women and fear for men. These differences in the networks seem to support the conceptualization of SPD from a dimensional point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of anxiety disorders over the last year among seniors ranged from 3.6% to 17.2%. The most prevalent disorders are specific phobias. Data are needed concerning the consequences of specific phobia disorder on the level of functioning and quality of life of older people, the age of onset of specific phobia disorder, and the duration of episodes. In total, 555 community-dwelling people aged between 65 and 84 years who lived in Madrid (Spain) were assessed (Composite International Diagnostic Interview for people over 65 years (CIDI65+), WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS II), Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Older Adults (HoNOS65+), World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief (WHOQOL-BREF). Prevalence rates and odds ratio, t-tests, binary logistic regression, and point-biserial correlations were calculated. A total of 12.07% of the sample suffered a specific phobia disorder over the last year. The average age at onset of the specific phobia was 38.78 (sd = 21.61) years. The mean duration of the phobia was approximately 20 (sd = 20) years. A significant effect of the specific phobia was found for the current levels of functioning and quality of life: WHOQOL-BREF total score ( p < 0.05), WHODAS II overall score ( p < 0.01), and HoNOS65+ total score ( p < 0.001). Having specific phobia disorder decreased the level of functioning and negatively affected the quality of life. These data suggest the need for primary healthcare professionals to include the detection of specific phobia disorders in their protocols because people do not receive treatment for this problem, and they might carry it throughout their lives.